Wrong Time, Right Place
by WritingOpensTheWorld
Summary: Gwen is a complete fangirl when it comes to the TV show Merlin, so much so that she convinces her friends to go on holiday to visit the very castle where it was filmed. But what happens when she wonders onto a lake that seemingly sends her back to the very time she has spent so much time watching? Will Gwen be able to find her way home, or will she find something worth staying for?
1. The Fortunes of Fate

Wrong Time, Right Place Chapter One: The Fortunes of Fate

It had taken seven months of begging, of saving every penny and pound to help pay. But finally, after acing her exams and finishing her med degree, her friends finally caved and the destination for their brief holiday abroad was set. They were only going to be away from England for a couple of days, but she had never looked forward to anything as much as this.

Visiting Château de Pierrefonds was going to be the highlight, and may have been the entire reason for the trip.

You could say she was a fangirl, and Guinevere would undoubtedly agree with you. She liked to pretend her mother had named her after the one from Arthurian legend. She knew it was not true, and it was a thought that had become fainter after her parents' death. This was the first time she was going to be leaving England since they had passed almost a year ago. Gwen had locked herself in her dorm room for the week following the funeral. It had taken her two closest friends, shoving chocolate under the door and texting her on a daily basis until she had let them in. and that was why they had given into this trip, even though neither wanted to go. Because at the end of the day, they felt sorry for her.

She didn't care if it was pity that had resulted in them agreeing to the trip, all that mattered was that Gwen was going to visit the very castle where they filmed Merlin, the place where one of her favourite shows had taken place. Her mother had first suggested the show to her, after hearing about it from one of her friends. It had become a tradition, they would watch the show together. After her death, the show had meant so much more. It had been a way to connect with her.

"Hurry up!" Gwen heard a voice yell, as a banging started on her door. She grabbed her sunglasses, the weather called for them. When she opened the door, all that met her was Kate's disapproving glare.

"Oh, you cannot be serious," she muttered, looking Gwen up and down. "A white sundress? Are you kidding me? We are going sightseeing, to a freaking castle, and you are wearing a white sundress," she said, as Sophie walked down the hall as well.

"Oh come on," she added, needing to get her two words in.

"Look," said Gwen, closing up her room, chucking most of her belongings in Kate's bag. "I have been wanting to go here for ages. So yes, I am going to wear a white sundress. And yes I am wearing red lipstick. And yes I will regret my outfit halfway in the castle up a staircase. But I am wearing it so that I look fantastic in the endless stream of photos you take and the selfies I do. If I am remembering this, it is going to be a memory in which I look fantastic," she said, walking out of the room to her friends' laughter. A car was waiting to take them, they didn't even want to try and find their own way there. The three loaded into the back of the car, Gwen immediately resting her head on the window of the car. It was so beautiful, everywhere you could look. Finally they reached the castle, and Gwen's breath was caught. It looked exactly like it did on screen, beautiful architecture, white stone. It was everything she had hoped for.

"As much as we love you Gwen," said Kate as she paid the cab driver, Gwen already having exited the car. "Neither of us much fancy walking through these halls with you or the forest," she continued, and Gwen turned to face them. She had guessed this was coming, the moment where her fangirling ways meant that her friends needed a break.

"Meet back here in two hours?" she suggested and Kate and Sophie nodded. "Oh," said Gwen quickly, before the other two decided to run off. "Try and appreciate the culture before you find a coffee shop," she teased, resulting in Kate sticking out her tongue.

"Oh, I'm happy to appreciate the culture," replied Sophie, raising her hand. "Just find me a cute French boy," she added, linking her arm into Kate's and pulling her off. Those two caused enough trouble back home, Gwen had to wonder if bringing them over was a mistake. She turned back towards the castle, gently moving across the courtyard, taking in every sight her eyes would allow. Her phone remained in her pocket, for now she didn't need photos. All she needed was memories. Photos could come later. Gwen decided to head to the forest first, wonder through the tracks for a while. Just be alone, take her time to realise where she was. The forest was so serene, no one else was in it this early in the morning. He black curls moved about in the gentle breeze that filled he forest. It whistled through the trees, echoing like a light humming. She wondered around, letting herself get slightly lost. That was the brilliance of GPS on her phone, it could always help her get back. Gwen found herself wondering towards the edge of a river, sitting down on a large boulder nearby.

"I miss you so much," she whispered, looking at a photo of her parents on her phone. She had finished med school because that was what they had always wanted her to do. Succeed in her life, with the opportunities they have never been given. But now that she was done, she just did not know if her heart was in the industry, if it was where she truly belonged. She loved caring for people and helping them, but she didn't know if this was how she wanted to help.

Her thoughts were interrupted as something shimmered in the water. A glint of silver caught her eye, drawing her towards the water edge. She quickly stood up from the rock, stepping towards it. This looked like the lake which had been the entrance to Avalon in the show. She could almost see Merlin saving Arthur from drowning. Sure the show was fiction, but a part of her pretended it was real, a true depiction of the fictional history on which the tale was based. The water glinted again, and Gwen knelt down, her fingers hovering just above the service. A breeze picked up all around her, and the wind whistled stronger each second. The water started to swirl above where her hand was placed. She knew she shouldn't. She knew that this was all some weird thing happening in her mind. But Gwen couldn't help it. She had to.

Gwen lowered her hand into the water. She felt a coldness spread up her arm, well past where the water ended. It took over her body, flooding it with a chilling sensation. That was the last thing she could remember before the world went dark.

 _You will forget the tale in which you now play a part…_

Her skull was pounded, beating louder than drum. Every sound vibrating through her head, driving the pain. She slowly forced her eyes open, the glaring sunlight bleeding through the trees. The forest was so still so quiet around her, the water resting calmly. Gwen slowly sat herself up, needing to figure out where she was. She felt for her phone in her pocket, but it was gone. Frantically Gwen searched the ground nearby.

"What the…" she whispered. The ground felt different to before, it was greener. And her phone was nowhere to be seen. Gwen pushed herself up off the ground, stumbling slightly as she stood. She stepped away from the water, glancing back at it briefly. It almost seemed eerily calm now. She slowly wondered back, trying to find her way back towards the tracks. Why did she wonder off in the first place? She should have known better than that. The whole forest appeared different now, trees she did not recall, paths nowhere to be seen. How hard had she hit her head?

"Argh!" she heard a voice scream, and Gwen immediately jumped. A flash of scarlet appeared in the corner of her eye, racing towards a man cloaked in it. More soon arrived beside them, all dressed completely in knight garb. She must have stumbled onto a cosplay event or something. Full credit, the costumes were impeccably made. Gwen slowly stepped across. A man with sandy blond hair had his back to her, kneeling down beside a man. When she got close enough for them to hear her footsteps, a few knights pulled their swords on her. And it was then that she saw it.

A crimson river was flowing from a gash in the man's upper arm.

There was no way that was fake blood.

Gwen had seen enough real blood to know he appearance of it, and that gash it was flowing from was potentially life threatening. Gwen brushed away the confusion at how he had been injured, and her surroundings, and let her training kick in.

"Move aside," she said, stepping towards the man. The blond haired man looked up at her, his eyes incredibly blue, and somehow the eyes were familiar to her. She just did not know where from.

"How dare you," started a dark haired knight, before Gwen quickly interrupted him.

"He may die unless you let me deal to that wound. So shut up, and let me work," she said, almost shoving the blond guy out of her way. She knelt down beside the injured man, taking a closer look at the wound. It had been caused by a sword, that much was clear. She needed to sterilise it, and when stop the steady flow of blood coming out. "Do any of you have any alcohol on you?" she asked, looking around the group. They all looked sheepish, of course none of them should have any on them. But being a group of guys, one of them must. Finally one handed over some, stored in a leather container. Gwen knew the name, but she couldn't remember it right now. How come it wasn't stored normally in a flask or something? There was time for that later. "Alright, I need you to hold him down," she said, pulling the lid off. A knight hesitantly moved to do so. Once the man was safely held down, Gwen looked around. "I need a bandage," she said, and the knights all glanced between each other. The blond one continued to stare at her, and it was beginning to be rather irritating at that. "Oh forget it," she said, reaching to the bottom of her dress and ripping a strip off. They could give her the money for a new one later. Most of the knights looked away as she did so, at least they had the decency to respect her modesty. Not that Gwen was concerned. She had showed a lot more skin in nightclubs than this. She had learned to accept who she was, and knew exactly how to work her assets.

"What are you doing?" asked the blond man, and she promptly ignored him. She poured the alcohol across the man's wound, and the scream echoed for miles. She quickly moved, tying the cloth tight around the man's arm, trying to stop the massive blood flow. The cut itself wouldn't kill him, but the blood loss would. Once it was tightly secured, she used the remaining alcohol to rinse her hands.

"Do not remove that until a doctor can look at that closely," she said, looking at the man in the face. Pain was etched right across his face, from the cut, from the blood loss, from the application of the alcohol. It was his stupid fault for being in an accident like his.

Now that her patient was attended to, Gwen looked around her. The knights all stared at her. This couldn't be cosplay, that cut was too real, and there would have been someone on hand to help if it had been an arranged event. The man with blond hair stared at her, those eyes so familiar to her. She stumbled backwards, pushing past him once more. Some knights moved their hands to rest on their sword hilts.

"Where am I?" Gwen asked, turning around, looking for the best way to escape if she needed to.

"Not far from the castle of Camelot," said the blond man, taking a single step towards her.

"Is this some kind of prank?" she asked, quickly stepping away from him.

"A prank?" he asked, clearly confused by her question. What the hell was this? Gwen needed to get out of here, find her phone, get back to her friends and get away from this weird place.

"I mean why would you injure him like that!" she screamed, and the confusion on the man's face grew.

"That was not us," piped up another knight behind him. "It was the bandits that attacked us. You should be grateful we were here, otherwise you would have undoubtedly fallen into their grasps," he continued, sounding almost displeased that she was not grateful for their actions.

"Vidor," warned the blond man, immediately shutting the other knight up. Gwen took that as her chance, and quickly turned, running away from them. She could hear the sound of chainmail rushing after her, but she kept running. What was happening? This was beyond a prank, no one would be hurt with a life threatening injury on purpose like that. It could have easily killed that knight, without a doubt.

Somewhere inside, Gwen knew she was not in the right time. Sure the place, that seemed close enough, but the time was all wrong. Everything around her confirmed that. The forest looked just slightly different, the air felt different and the way those men had acted, that was beyond cosplay.

Surely she couldn't have, thought Gwen, as her feet began to ache. Those sandals would have been fine for walking all day in. Running was a very different matter, especially with the occasional jump over logs she was having to make. Surely, it wasn't possible that she was somehow in the right place, but the wrong time.

There was something ever so familiar about that blond haired man, something that despite all her efforts to do so she could not place. But that didn't stop her from running as fast as she could, she needed to get away from all of this.

"Wait!" she heard the man yell, and she briefly glanced back. He was catching up to her slowly but steadily. She couldn't continue to outrun him, he had the upper hand in speed and stamina. Glancing back at him once more, Gwen only realised the mistake of looking away too late. She felt herself fall towards the covered earth, her head bounding hard against the ground. The last thing her eyes saw before complete darkness was a pair of piercing blue eyes.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Thank you so much for having a read of the first Chapter of Wrong Time, Right Place. I got the idea while watching the first season of Outlander, so it is built on the idea that the character Gwen has been transported from the 21st century back to an age that some of you just might recognise... The story will follow the story as we know it from the TV show with of course the added twist and turn here and there due to Gwen being a girl out of her time. The next chapter will be here waking up in Camelot and slowly trying to figure out what has happened.**

 **Reviews with any ideas or suggestions would be fantastic! See you in the next chapter!**


	2. Where Am I?

Gwen awoke to a throbbing head and a room she recognised, but she did not know where from. All around her were shelves covered in books, tables with potions and vials spread in a seemingly illogical order. She sat up, remembering what her dream had been about. She had appeared in a forest, with knights, and helped to save a man's life. What a weird dream that had been. She lifted herself off the rather uncomfortable bed she was on, sitting up and swinging her legs off the side. There was a weird smell in the room, no doubt being caused by one of the bubbling mixtures held within it. Gwen started to walk around the room, and it got her slightly worried. The books were old, really old. And nothing on the tables looked even remotely like proper medical equipment.

"I am not sure you should be standing up," said a voice, and Gwen jumped, turning around. Standing there was a young man, dark black hair and a very angular face. She knew that face, but where from?

"Listen, whatever this is, can I just use your phone and get out of here?" Gwen replied, still unsure of where his face was from.

"Phone?" replied the man, looking extremely confused. Gwen looked back at him, and got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Like when she had found out they were going to be dissecting animals in a biology lab. Like the day that her parents had decided to go out for dinner.

"Tell me where I am," she said, turning around. The man looked at her, and she realised he must have been near her age.

"The court physician's rooms," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "The knights brought you here after you fell in the forest," he continued, taking a small step towards her.

"What those cosplay guys?" Gwen replied, quickly stepping away from him.

"The Knights of Camelot?" he asked, seemingly as confused as she was.

"What…." Muttered Gwen looking around. Knights? She raced over to the nearby window, staring out it, and couldn't help but stumble backwards. It was a medieval town, smoke billowing out chimneys, some very questionable structures. Horse drawn carts, and clearly no electricity. "No….." she muttered, continuing to move backwards. "No, no, no, this must be a dream," she continued, beginning to spin in small circles.

"I can assure you that you are awake," said the man. Gwen moved over towards him, reaching her hand out and placing a hand on his shoulder. He sure felt real.

"Why do I know you? I recognise your face…." She said, removing her hand realising it was slightly awkward to have it lingering there.

"I am fairly certain we have not met before," he replied, looking slightly closer at her face. She looked back at him, where did she know him from? There was something there, something that made him trustworthy. Despite how confused Gwen was, she trusted this man with her life, even though they had only just met. "My name is Merlin," he said. Merlin, even his name was familiar. "I am Prince Arthur's manservant, and I help Gaius the Court Physician," he continued.

"Prince Arthur?" Gwen questioned, the name ringing no bells.

"The Crown Prince of Camelot?" Merlin responded, raising an eyebrow at her confusion.

"Camelot?" she asked. What was happening? Merlin began to look just as confused as she was. But there was something she could see in his eyes, he was worried for her. "Look, I was walking through the forest and then somehow I ended up here. I mean it is almost like….." Gwen trailed off as it hit her like a train. She was fairly certain this was not a dream and every other thought led back to the same point. She had somehow gone back in time.

"Like what?' Merlin asked. Gwen shook her head, if she told him what she thought had happened, he would think she was mad. Well, madder than she already appeared. Yet there was something about him that made her want to confide in him. And so she did.

"It was Merlin right?" she asked and he nodded. "If I tell you this, you must swear to keep it a secret. No one else can know of what I tell you," she added.

"I swear, so long as it does not endanger the lives of those I care about that I will keep your secret," Merlin said, pulling up a seat at the table.

"I, I think I have travelled through time," she spat out, not sure how to put it better. Merlin's face was completely shocked, not sure whether or not to believe this tale. But what else could explain how she had been acting? "I was wondering through a forest, in the year 2016, and then I touched this water, in a lake in the forest. Next thing I knew, I ran into those knights. And I know that this isn't the time I come from. No computers, no cell phones, hell no electricity. I know I sound crazy, but," continued Gwen, beginning to ramble like the madwoman she must sound like.

"I believe you," said Merlin, looking at her.

"You what?" she almost screamed back. Either he was lying, or just as mad as she was. Possibly both.

"I believe you," he said again, this time more confident of his answer. Mad, he was mad. And then something flashed through her mind. It was Merlin, his eyes flashing amber and a bucket of water froze mid air. She looked up at him.

"Is it because you have magic?" she asked, and Merlin quickly stumbled backwards, trying to recover, pretend it hadn't shocked him. It wasn't working.

"What?" he quickly muttered. She looked at him. Why did it matter if he did have magic? In what world was that a problem? Gwen thought that would have been awesome, and she would have loved to be able to stop things with her mind. Both of them jumped as the door to the room slammed open. In strode the man with blond hair and blue eyes from the forest. Now that Gwen was not in a rush to help a man who might bleed to death, she took the time to look at him. His hair was more sandy blond in this light, his fringe falling to conceal most of his forehead. He had defined cheekbones, though nowhere near as much as Merlin. His build was muscular, you could tell even without a knight uniform that he was a warrior. The way he stood, he held himself with so much confidence, you could almost feel the cockiness that oozed out. But the thing that Gwen found her eyes resting on were his eyes. They were an incredible blue, so deep that she almost felt like she could drown in them if she stared for any longer. Merlin seemed to have regained his wits slightly, and nudged her shoulder, leaning towards her ear. "Bow," he muttered in her ear, and Gwen looked over to him.

"What?" asked Gwen, her voice loud enough for the blond haired man to hear. The blond haired man stepped forward slightly, looking towards Merlin.

"This is Prince Arthur, of Camelot," said Merlin, and then Gwen realised why she was meant to bow. The only issue was, she had never personally done it. Sure, she had seen it in a million cheesy romances involving a prince, and that would have to do in this case. She slowly moved one leg behind the other, and lowered herself towards the ground, using her arms to try and stabilise her. But she shouldn't have worried, it came naturally. Gwen slowly then lifted her eyes up to meet the man for whom she was bowing.

Arthur had waited as long as he could before deciding it was time to go to Gaius' chambers. There was something about that girl he had met in the forest. The way she had immediately rushed over to help, and the way she had spoken to them, hardly intimidated by the blood still dripping from their swords. He reached Gaius' chambers and for one of the first times in his life, thought about knocking before entering. In the end he went with his usual shove the door open. He saw the girl standing, and realised exactly how beautiful she was. Unlike most of the ladies at the court, who relied on dresses and jewellery to catch the eyes of suitors, her beauty was as clear as day. She still wore the rather short and revealing white dress from the other day, the bottom torn, and a small bloodstain on one edge. Her rich brown hair hung in beautiful curls framing her face. He knew Merlin said something, but all he could focus on was her. He watched as she bowed, her eyes tilting up to meet his, capturing them in a warm chocolate brown gaze.

Gwen felt like she had been in the curtsey for an eternity. Her legs were beginning to ache slightly and she knew it wouldn't be long until she started to shake and fell out of balance. She stepped up and quickly moved her gaze to Merlin, not wanting to meet the Prince's eyes again.

"I wanted to thank you," started Arthur, and Gwen slowly turned back to face him. "According to Gaius, you saved my knight. Without you he would have died," Arthur continued, being very careful not to step too far forward.

"Umm," stuttered Gwen, unsure how to respond to royalty thanking you. Was there protocol? There was so much Gwen had no clue about, when she did history at school, she covered the world wars, the American Revolution. Not court conduct during the medieval times. "No problem?" she replied, and the confused look that overtook the Prince's face said it all. This was going to be a sharp learning curve, one she would need Merlin for. Hopefully he would help. And then it hit her why Arthur had been staring at her a lot. Her attire.

"Well, my father would like to meet you and thank you in person," said Arthur, looking at Merlin.

"Let me guess," started Gwen, knowing that interrupting was probably not the correct thing to do, but doing it anyway. "Wrong attire?" she asked, gesturing to her dress. Arthur kept his gaze up at her eyes, but she could tell he was trying very hard to. No doubt seeing someone in this clothing was an odd sight.

"I arranged for Morgana's handmaiden to bring one of her dresses to you soon," said Arthur, and Merlin suddenly got a cheeky grin on his face.

"Thank you," said Gwen, mumbling once again. Arthur turned back towards the door, starting to walk out. Then he turned back quickly.

"I did not get your name," he said, looking back at her.

"Gwen," she quickly replied.

"Gwen?" asked Arthur, and a brief flash of disappointment flashed across his face.

"Short for Guinevere," she added, almost blurting it out. Arthur smiled.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Guinevere," Arthur said, before very quickly rushing out the door. Gwen looked over to Merlin, but his focus was clearly back to their previous conversation.

"Magic," he muttered, sitting down at the table. "Why do you think I have magic?" he asked, looking up at Gwen.

"I, I don't know. But I can see it, your eyes turning amber, you stopping a bucket of water from falling. Why, surely having magic is amazing?" she asked, and the look on Merlin's face told her how much of a mistake she had just made.

"Magic is outlawed in Camelot," whispered Merlin. Gwen instinctually reached her hand out to his, trying to comfort him. "Anyone found with magic is killed, the King refuses to allow otherwise," continued Merlin, his face pale. Gwen felt sympathy for him. How could anyone manage to live like that? In constant fear?

"Your secret is safe with me Merlin," Gwen promised looking at him. No one should have to hide who they truly were, but Gwen was determined to help him. "But Merlin, I have no idea what to do. I am stuck in a time I know nothing of, with no way of returning home," she continued, looking down at her hand, now moving away from his. "Would you be able to send me back?" she asked, looking up at him.

"The power required to do that, I just, I would not know where to begin," replied Merlin, sorry that he could not help send Gwen back to her home. There was something about her, Merlin trusted her. "But I will help you while you are here, however I can, I promise. And your secret is safe with me too," he said, and Gwen smiled. A knock sounded at the door and they both looked over to it.

"I suppose I should get ready to meet the king," said Gwen standing up from the seat. "By the way, what is his name?"


End file.
